The Dolmen de la Pedra Gentil of Vallgorguina
A 5000 year old megalithic structure near Barcelona
Catalonia is not only famous for its sunny coasts, its food or its capital, Barcelona. In this region are hidden ancient structures that go back well before the Roman Empire.
San Celoni
Taking the R-2 train from Barcelona, you arrive at San Celoni, a Spanish municipality of just over 16,000 belonging to the Comarca of the Vallès Oriental. Coming down from the train I find in front of the station, the bus stop that will take me inside the park of Montnegre i Corredor. And it is precisely here that begins my little excursion in search of the Dolmen de la Pedra Gentil.
It is late afternoon and about an hour’s arrival at the designated place. During the route, the signposting clearly indicates which direction to take to admire the dolmen formed by as many as 7 vertical megaliths that support a much larger place above them.
The dolmen
The photos found on the internet may erroneously give the idea that it is a very large building, which however turns out to be smaller. Despite its height, which reaches about 1.5 meters, the Dolmen de la Pedra Gentil shows an impressive solidity and a little fear of approaching. Will it be to break? Obviously not. When touched, the stones of granite origin are strong and austere. The place itself emanates a sense of religiosity and occultism, who knows how I was influenced by the readings found on the web!
It is said that it was a place of worship of witches and satanic rites. Even today it is visited by occultists and lovers of esotericism. The megalithic structure is dated about between 3500 – 2000 a. C.
As always, I love doing things calmly. I sit down and relax with a previously prepared snack. All around the structure extends a pine forest mixed with other shrubs. Due by the rocky terrain the roots of the pines, which surround the Dolmen, emerge from the ground giving the impression of being long and sinister tentacles.
After the meal I get ready to take some pictures of this lonely place. The silence is broken only by the wind that hisses among the leaves of the trees. The sun goes down with its winter trajectory, in a few hours it will be dark. The shadows that stretch and the calm of the place make me feel a sense of sinister melancholy. I finish the visit with the last photographs to direct another place of religious interest.
Santa Eulàlia de Tapioles
Just near the Dolmen stands the ancient church of Santa Eulàlia de Tapioles architectural heritage of Catalonia. The church of Romanesque style, despite some baroque reforms, is dated in 878 AD. It was built as a monastic cell comprising a cemetery and a house. Apart from the usual vandalism, you can only admire the building from the outside, as some walls are unsafe.
Finding two religious structures of opposite beliefs, not very distant from each other, makes me think that this has always been a place of worship since ancient times. Today it is only a destination for the curious and lovers of trekking but stopping even for a moment, you can appreciate a partly disturbing atmosphere that arouses respect.
Time passes and the light more and more grazing warns me that it’s time to come back. Arrival at San Celoni by bus and a light rain accompanies me while I wait for the train for the chaotic Barcelona.
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